Down Memory Lane - Glen Kinglass
Pat Lloyd
I had been off the bike for a few months due to health problems and to stave off boredom I started to read some of the old diaries I only keep on holiday. One of the early ones was of a Scottish trip in May 1988 when we took the track down Glen Kinglass. I do not remember any accounts in the Journal of this superb rough stuff route so here is a belated account of one of my favourite tracks.
As Fred was still a member of the workforce we took the car to Inverary hostel instead of cycling there and left it there for a week. It was a sunny start for the ride along the A819, an easy ride with a strong tail wind to Dalmally and then on the lovely B8074 up Glen Orchy to Bridge of Orchy where we turned onto the minor road to Loch Tulla. We passed the Inveroran Hotel where years later we camped across the road on our way across to Kings House and Loch Etive.
Crossing the Victoria Bridge at Forest Lodge we turned left onto a good track on the north side of the Linne Nam Beathach and were able to ride for a couple of miles until the good track abandoned the river and turned right onto the hills to somewhere marked on the map as Clashgour. Our path continued alongside the river, although mostly a two liner with heather down the middle so we ended up walking most of it. It was nice and dry underfoot with hardly any water in the river. Is it old age remembering or did May in Scotland used to be warm and dry twenty years ago? Wherever the path crossed streams there were bridges but as they involved a steep step up we ignored them and mostly crossed the dry stream beds.
The track climbed gently to Loch Dochard where we stopped for a brew up. There were lovely views and a nice stable with dry hay, a good emergency night spot. It is most unlikely to be still there but Fred left his bike pump at the stable, one of many scattered about the world! Shortly after we reached the highest point at 289 metres and it was downhill from there, not a lot rideable but easy walking. We crossed the river and could see cottages and Highland cattle.
Once past the turn left for Glen Kinglass Lodge, it was mostly rideable but as it was now seven o’clock we stopped at the next bridge which crossed the Allt Hallater and made camp.
We did not linger over our meal as the midges were out in force so it was a good thing that we had stocked up with moon tigers in Inverary.
Next morning I gave Fred his birthday card. It was another gorgeous day and after a quick wash in the stream we were on our way, but not for long as I had a puncture in the back tyre. We stopped to inspect a fishing hut where there was a trap in an old wall with a dead hen inside so I don’t know what they were hoping to catch!
It was almost twelve o’clock as we reached Loch Etive where we had to cross the river by a wobbly suspension bridge. We passed a couple of houses but it was slow going as the road surface was loose quarry battons and very hard on the tyres, which meant a detour to the cycle shop in Oban the next day. Once tarmac was reached we dropped down to Taynuilt for afternoon tea at the cottage near the loch to celebrate Fred’s birthday, sadly it no longer caters.
We went to look at the Bonawe Furnace which was of special interest to us as the iron ore came from Furness across Morecambe Bay near where we live, and was smelted with charcoal made from the forest near Bonawe. We finished the day with a lovely evening ride down Glen Lonan to the campsite at Oban. The next day, after buying a new tyre, we continued the holiday into Kintyre. Since then we have tried a couple of times to retrace the track but have been deterred with atrocious weather – perhaps it is as well to leave it as a happy memory.
For the second week we took the car to Carbisdale hostel and headed north for the track from Oykel Bridge to Ullapool by Glen Einig, and Glen Achall, spending the night at the bothy at Loch an Daimh. Our return south was by the private road from Gobernuisgach Lodge to the head of Loch Merkland – twenty two miles of rideable track.
Pat Lloyd
(Halton, Lancashire)